1. Field of the Invention
The invention relates to guide handles and, more particularly, relates to a universal guide handle for a walk behind rotary finishing trowel or other manually guided machine.
2. Discussion of the Related Art
Many machines require substantial effort to be manually guided as they traverse a work surface. One such machine is a walk behind concrete finishing trowel or simply “walk behind trowel.” Walk behind trowels are generally known for the finishing of concrete surfaces. A walk behind trowel generally includes a rotor formed from a plurality of trowel blades that rest on the ground. The rotor is driven by a motor mounted on a frame or “cage” that overlies the rotor. The trowel is controlled by an operator via a handle assembly extending several feet from the cage. The handle assembly includes a post and a guide handle. The post has a lower end attached to the gearbox and an upper end disposed several feet above and behind the lower end. The guide handle is mounted on the upper end of the post. A blade pitch adjustment mechanism may be mounted on the upper end of the post or the guide handle. Other controls, such as throttle control, a kill switch, etc., may be mounted on the post and/or the guide handle. Substantial manual effort is required to control and steer the machine, and the guide handle must therefore be rather robust and provide secure gripping points for the operator.
Rotary trowels typically have one of two types of guide handles. The first is often known as a “bicycle” style handle. A bicycle style guide handle comprises a pair of handlebars extending laterally outwardly from the center post in much the same style as a bicycle's handlebars. The handlebars typically extend outwardly and upwardly from the center post so that the post and handlebars, in combination, generally take the shape of a Y. In some machines, the handlebars extend horizontally from the post to take the shape of a T. In either event, the terminal ends of the handlebars provide grips for the operator's hands. A bicycle style guide handle is disclosed, e.g., in U.S. Pat. No. 4,673,311, the contents of which are hereby incorporated by reference in its entirety.
A bicycle style guide handle has the advantage of providing discrete gripping points for ease of control. The free ends of the handlebars also provide convenient locations for hanging buckets or the like. However, the guide handle lacks versatility in gripping options because it provides no surfaces other than the handgrips that can be easily grasped. Some bicycle style guide handles also lack a “belly bar” or center bar against which the operator may rest his or her stomach or chest for pushing the machine and/or resisting rearwardly acting reaction forces generated upon machine operation.
The second type of guide handle commonly used in walk behind trowels is a so-called “whale tail” style handle. A whale tail handle is characterized by first and second opposed enclosed handlebars formed by generally U-shaped handle portions that extend generally horizontal outwardly from the center post. The front, lower leg of each U-shaped portion is connected to the center post. The rear, upper leg of each U-shaped portion is connected to or merges with the corresponding leg of the opposite portion. The resultant handle has first and second laterally opposed arcuate gripping portions connected to one another by a belly bar located at the rear of the guide handle. Each handlebar provides a number of different gripping locations that can be grasped by the operator's hands to guide and steer the machine in a manner that best suits that operator's preference. A whale tail style guide handle is disclosed, e.g., in U.S. Pat. No. 5,993,109, the contents of which are hereby incorporated by reference in their entirety. However, the whale tail handle lacks the free ends that are characteristic of a bicycle style guide handle.
Hence, the bicycle style guide handle and the whale tail style guide handle each have unique characteristics and advantages. Some operators prefer the whale tail style guide handle because of the versatility in gripping options provided by the handlebar geometry. Others prefer the bicycle style guide handle because its handlebar free ends can be used to hang objects. In order to accommodate this personal preference, manufacturers sometimes keep both kinds of guide handle in inventory and supply the desired type of guide handle upon demand.
The need therefore has arisen to provide a guide handle for a walk behind concrete finishing trowel or the like that has the most advantageous features of both a bicycle style guide handle and a whale tail style guide handle.